Hibs open new training center

By: Ian Rose | December 19th, 2007

Hibernian manager John Collins can’t say enough positive things about the new training center Hibs opened today in East Lothian. The £4.9million complex is one of the most advanced such facilities in the country, and certainly the finest outside of the Old Firm, which is fitting considering Hibs’ excellent record of producing (then selling) young Scottish talent. The transfers of Scott Brown, Kevin Thompson and Steven Whittaker basically paid for the center. Though plans were in place to build a new training facility soon anyway, the millions brought in by selling the three, especially Brown, have moved up the timetable and allowed the club to both open the facility sooner and, more importantly, to own it completely and outright.

Collins claims that the center is the best he’s ever seen, including his time at Fulham and Everton as a player. The facility includes five grass pitches, an outdoor artificial pitch, an indoor training pitch, players’ and coaches’ lounges, a state-of-the-art gym, pool, and video room. It’s a hugely significant move from Easter Road, which will now only be used on match days.

Whether this move can help Hibs out of their current slump in the league is questionable, but in the long term, it is this sort of investment that gives the second-tier clubs in Scotland hope of growing nearer to the level of the Old Firm. Hibs should be congratulated on their vision to spend these transfer funds on much-needed infrastructure rather than on players. A state of the art facility like this will only help get better players in the future, since one of the complaints of foreign players in Scotland is often the lack of world-class facilities.